Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - "Ghetto Skank" (3:00)
Review: In the mid-70s, reggae great Dennis Brown was on a creative high with producer Niney propelling him to stardom. However, around this time, he was transitioning back to working with Joe Gibbs, another masterful studio hand who would later cement Brown's superstar status. Gibbs had previously worked with him on the acclaimed Visions album, and this particular track was likely recorded during that era or slightly earlier. Despite its quality, the tune didn't reach the audience it deserved, largely due to Gibbs' lack of UK distribution at the time. For much of the seventies, Joe Gibbs remained sidelined in England, limiting the global impact of his exceptional productions, but reissues like this do a fine job of underlining his importance.
Review: The magical 'All in My Life' is an unreleased and heartbroken lovers rock steady track sung by a humble figure over a smooth rhythm. While missing the glamour of a horn section, it's driven by a lilting organ reminiscent of Buster Allstars. The B-side, 'Dancing Floor,' is the only song Gregory Isaacs recorded under Buster's production and so it is a rather rare gem. It features a melancholic melody and Isaacs' signature sweet voice that very much come from the golden age of early reggae. Both tracks showcase a raw side of the genre and as they are lesser known, they are sure to make a big impact whenever played.
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - "Golden River" (3:33)
Review: Whether or not it is a coincidence that we are fast approaching 420 and ever more weed-related 7"s are dropping we do not know, but nor do we care. Culture's 'Callie Weed Song' is going to bang whatever day of the year you drop it, so long as you play it loud. It's got carefree keys and ganglier guitars accompanying the traditional reggae groove and some super stoned-sounding vocal musings on top. Joe Gibbs & The Professionals then appear on the flip with something just as summer, laid back and seductive in the form of the great 'Golden River.' Let's not get into what that title may or may not refer to.
Review: An eagerly awaited repress of DJ Shepdog's 2006 mashup of Damian Marley's 'Welcome To Jamrock' with Dead Prez's 'It's Bigger Than Hip Hop', effortlessly juxtaposing one of contemporary dancehall's most iconic vocals with undeniably one of the fattest basslines ever laid. This iconic pairing is flanked by ultra fun cut 'Sleng Hop' uniting the original Dead Prez acapella with another of the world's most famous basslines- Prince Jammy's Casiotone MT-40 'rock & roll' rhythm... You do the math!
Review: UK favourites Dub Pistols are back with the second release in their Version excursion series. The original is a great cover an Edie Brickell classic which brings this outfit's usual blend of ska, 2-tone and dub to the fore. The drums are mid-tempo and have a real swagger while the sub-bass adds serious weight, gentle wood block hits and rim shots pepper the mix and the lovely vocal from Prince Fatty regular Shniece brings seductive and smoky soul. On their 'What I Am Manasseh Dub' things get more laden with echo and reverb and mixing desk effects twist the low ends into perfect stoner territory.
Review: A rare gem from the golden age of early reggae, this 1970 cut by Justin Hinds was originally released on a Duke Reid 7". It gets a welcome reissue here but still has plenty of lo-fi aesthetics, vinyl crackle and dusty sound that keeps it authentic rather than overly polished. Hinds' soulful vocal delivery and signature rhythm style shine as they capture the spirit of the era with subtle flair. On the flip side, a slinky, instrumental organ version by Gus McIntyre adds serious depth and makes this an irresistible double-sider or cracking up nice and loud through some towering speaker stacks.
Review: "Inokasira Rangers" translates from the Japanese to mean "Park Rangers". Living up to the name, this band's dub and rocksteady versions are like natural conservation efforts. Re-rendering their chosen songs in bobbing dub, Nirvana's grunge roll 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' is first revitalised, transformed into a sustainable form: "jello, hello, how low" becomes a relatively spooky perennation of Hammond, while Krist Novoselic's accompanying basslines become chop guitar, emblematic of the rocksteady movement. Meanwhile, Kool & The Gang's 'Summer Madness' is lent an eerier, dream-strung dub version, with an underwater wah effect providing an extra tchotchke on the windowsill of history.
Review: Tokyo's Inokasira Rangers have been crafting lo-fi reggae since the 1990s, yet remained a rather hidden gem outside Japan. Their release 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' finally changed that when it dropped initially back in 2023 and sold out in quick time so now gets reissued. The A-side reimagines Frankie Valli's classic with a laid-back reggae twist while the B-side takes on Crystal Waters' '90s dance anthem with surprising charm. Infused with a subtle Shibuya-kei flair, both covers feel fresh yet timeless. The Waters rendition, in particular, sounds like a forgotten folk tune-so natural it's hard to believe it wasn't always this way. A breezy, nostalgic delight from a band overdue for global recognition.
Review: Rocksteady revivalists Inosikira Rangers have built a long and successful career out of unlikely cover versions, delivering killer reggae style interpretations of everything from 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', 'Anarchy In The UK' and 'Creep', to 'Born Slippy', 'Like a Virgin' and 'Happy'. Here, two of their most popular and potent covers are brought together for the first time on one "45". On side A they handle New Order's 'Blue Monday', re-casting it as a Hammond-heavy slab instrumental rocksteady, with Bernard Sumner's vocals being replaced by extended organ solos. Over on the flip, they slow down and skank out Kraftwerk's 'Autobahn', throwing in nods to krautrock and a dash of robotic vocoder to keep things fresh.
Review: Japan's best covers outfit, Inokasira Rangers, once again scores another knockout in dub. This time the instrumental group have procured a jaunty Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong ballad and a Glen Campbell re-blend respectively. Both songs have been lent a warm, clear-cut rocksteady flavour, substituting trademark vocal lines for instrumental renderings (both originals contain bittersweet legatos and leaping intervals, and deal in themes of gratitude and nostalgia, making it an extra challenge for the Hammond and electric piano to replicate them). But the task is nonetheless won, and pristine clarity achieved!
Curtis Baker & The Bravehearts - "Wooly Bully" (2:26)
Review: Across four artists and four versions, Original Gravity present 'Woolly Bully', a woollen repackaging of the longtime Sam Sham & The Pharoahs classic. Laid down in 1964, this terpsichorean prancer kept to a 12-bar blues progression, and made for the first American record to sell a million copies during the storied British Invasion. Its mixture of skiffly British rock and Mexican-American conjunto was an intentional blend, and a succesful one at that. Its enduring impact is now felt in these rollicking cover versions from Junior Dell, Donnoya Drake, Luchito & Nestor Alvarez and Curtis Baker, all roomy, costume vintage retrofits of the original. Listen closely to the lyrics for strange talk of a mythical creature: the original song's lyrics were so strange that some radio stations banned it for fear of popular befuddlement.
Review: From the nebulaic dusts of 1960s Kingston came the Kingstonians, a tight-knit vocal trio built around the songwriting of Cebert "Jackie" Bernard, joined by his brother Lloyd "Footy" Bernard and Lloyd Kerr. Their early work with producer J.J. Johnson yielded the breakout hit 'Winey Winey', but it was under the guidance of Derrick Harriott that they reached wider acclaim. Before their dissolution in the early 70s, and a later solo spit by Bernard which included a striking collaboration with Lee “Scratch” Perry as Jack Lord, ‘I’m Gonna Make It’ appeared as a mid-tempo rocksteady salve, with tightly-buoyed, gospel-inflected harmonies backing a core lyric line about perseverance and self-belief in the face of adversity.
Review: New York's incomparable edit king, and a hugely prolific one at that, Danny Krivit aka Mr K returns with some elongated reworks of a couple of Stevie Wonder's most timeless tunes. First up is his version of 'Master Blaster' which was originally the sound of Stevie paying tribute to Bob Marley. In his hands, it has a big intro and drums ready to rock. Flip it over and you will find 'I Was Made To Love Her' which has big r&b overtones and the sort of breakdowns that really build a vibe in the club. Adding in lashings of signature soul and you have two more steamy and effective tributes from the one and only Mr K.
Review: Rock A Shaka continue their tributary exegeses of Jamaican rocksteady legend Prince Buster with a new 7", 'Got To Be Free'. Pulled straight from the corresponding Funky Jamaica compilation issued separately - which in turn compiles the best gems to coruscate his illustrious career - the 45s format does well to counterbalance the fallacy of comprehensiveness with a throwback in form. 'Got To Be Free' is a rather pleasant anthem to freedom: "we love the birds, we love the trees, we love the honey, we love the bees..."
Prince Buster with Determinations - "Ten Steps Ahead" (3:58)
Determinations - "Two Steps Back" (3:44)
Review: Rock A Shaka continue to wring out their apparently exclusive tenancy of Prince Buster's so far unissued reggae and rocksteady works, this time dropping a fresh 7" one with the instrumentalist Determinations on dubbing duties, 'Ten Steps Ahead'. Buster's final recording before he died initially went by the name 'One Step Beyond', and it has here been renamed in requiem, perhaps to differentiate it from the repopularised Madness cover. Lodged behind the vault door for years, you can be sure that Rock A Shaka thanked their lucky stars when they re-found it: "why must I suffer so much on this land?" Buster's voice is unusually lonesome and spectral, revealing in the late artist a rarely obviated forlornness.
Heptones, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - "Crying Over You" (2:38)
Review: After a recent Pressure Sounds compilation put together the best of Caltone Records - documenting the truest gems of a great Jamaican dub label - the horse's mouth is now heard neighing. Caltone themselves have now reissued Devon Russell & The Tartans' 'Making Love', a long-lost from the late 1960s troubadours. Ne'er released before, it also comes backed exclusively with a bluesy Heptones, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics lamentation, 'Crying Over You'.
U-Roy, The Jamaicans, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - "Peace & Love" (2:37)
Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - "The World Needs Love" (2:08)
Review: Both tracks on this crucial new drop from Duke share a common theme of love and harmony, which were of course the cornerstones of reggae and part of the reason it has such an enduring appeal as the universal need for compassion and unity has never diminished. In fact, it might be more needed now than ever. First, 'Peace & Love' by U-Roy, The Jamaicans, and Tommy McCook & The Supersonics is a timeless cut with U-Roy's toasting sat next to horn-driven rhythms that were first released in the 1970s. Similarly, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics' "The World Needs Love" captures the essence of70s reggae, with McCook's smooth saxophone leading the instrumental arrangement.
Review: Two rare instrumental covers of the 1969 classic 'Spinning Wheel' by Blood, Sweat & Tears. Produced by the legendary Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1970, these were first released on the highly exclusive Spinning Wheel label, and, as the label name suggests, both tracks are fortuitous roulettes encircling dusty instrumental dub. It also happens to be the first ever release on Harlem Shuffle, marking the start of a small, pantherine catalogue. For the rather fast brachiations of 'Haunted House' - a poltergeist of a track, fettered to the weathered-down needle nib on our own turntable, causing psychokinetic rotary reactions - and the bicyclic, two tone dub reinvention 'Double Wheel', these tracks showcase Perry's technologising approach to dubbing, prioritising energy above all. Fitting for Perry's lifelong kinghood over dub music at large, the subgeneric name was, of course, baptised "boss reggae".
Review: This limited reissue revives an ultra-rare 1968 reggae anthem, originally released on the Blue Cat label. Featuring Dennis Walks' 'Belly Lick' and Drumbago & The Blenders' 'The Game Song', both tracks epitomise late 1960s Jamaican music as a genre with bite, as these contemporaries foregrounded womp-basses and impactful offbeat guitars, as always emphasise the 2s and 4s, and infusing the world-famous reggae genre with the lesser-spotted, banjo-led Jamaican music category of mento. Written by Walks and produced by Joe Gibbs, these gems were once highly collectible, fetching blasphemously high prices, but this reissue brings the them back for collectors to enjoy for their own sake.
Review: A key figure in Jamaican music who first gained recognition with The Uniques before branching out as a solo artist and producer. By the late 60s, he'd honed his skills in arrangement and keyboard-driven reggae, culminating in Reggae Is Tight and Reggae Charm. Reggae Is Tight bursts to life with the insistent chant of '5 to ', riding a thick organ groove. Charmers reinterprets The Uniques' 'Watch The Sound' as the flowing piano instrumental 'Follow This Sound'. He transforms classics like 'Blue Moon' into reggae gems, while 'Psychedelic Reggae' leans into dubby echo effects. The album thrives on tight, dancefloor-ready rhythms, with 'Stronger' capping off the set in style. His deal with Trojan Records led to Reggae Is Tightia stunning example of his keyboard prowess over driving, fast-paced rhythms. Blending infectious organ grooves with classic boss reggae energy, the album captures the golden era of Jamaican sounds. Now reissued as a limited edition on orange vinyl, Reggae Is Tight remains an essential listen for vintage reggae enthusiasts, highlighting Charmers' innovative touch and deep influence on the genre.
Review: Released in 1991, Forever brought together the sage dubwise forces of Wiss, Skelly and Apple - who were joined by the Roots Radics, and produced under Doctor Dread's guidance - for a recorded, controlled pandemonium laid down at the Lion & Fox Studios in Kingston. The Jamaican reggae group, formed in the 1970s, assembled as a merry band of brothers in the lyrical nascences of 'Poor Man Cry', 'Soldier of Jah Army', 'Reggae On The River' and 'Red Eyes', all of which feature here. Reissued on vinyl for the first time since 1991 and on CD for the first time since 1996, both formats have been remastered to provide the perfect listening experience for this legendary album.
Review: Bob Marley remains a towering figure in world music many years after his death. His work to popularise reggae around the world is never likely to be equalled, which is why we keep on coming back to his grand canon. This label in particular has done a fine job of shining a light on it. After the success of Trenchtown Rock, Small Ax, and All in One, here comes the final chapter of this quadriptych of albums dedicated to Marley's musical legacy. It's a jam-packed collection that mixes up incandescent grooves with universal messages and takes in plenty of his lesser-known jams on a nice acid-yellow vinyl.
Review: This electrifying 1973 live broadcast captures Bob Marley & The Wailers during their US tour supporting the Burnin' album. Originally aired on KSAN-FM, the set showcases the legendary lineup of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Aston "Familyman" Barrett, Carlton Barrett, Earl "Wire" Lindo and Joe Higgs, all of whom were at the peak of their powers. The album takes in standout cuts from Burnin', including unforgettable contributions from Tosh and the performance follows their short-lived stint touring with Sly & The Family Stone. It's an unfiltered, visceral document of reggae history in the making that reflects the Wailers' seismic impact just before they exploded into international stardom.
Review: Jamaican singer Clive Matthews has enjoyed a stop-start career, with relatively brief periods of activity in the 70s, 80s and early 2000s followed by a late blossoming over the last decade - a career bump provided by the backing of Spanish roots reggae outfit A-Lone Productions. They're at the controls again on Matthews' second album, Going Home, which marks the Trenchtown-born artist's first full length for seven years. Rooted in his love of roots reggae albums of the 1970s, but with occasional updated instrumentation, it's a classic-sounding set that provides a perfect platform for Matthews' conscious lyrics and honeyed, effortlessly soulful voice. The results are undeniably impressive, with our current favourites including 'Yes I Do', 'Ancient Lion', dancefloor-ready title track 'Going Home' and the pleasingly jaunty 'Reggae Music'.
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